2013 Fantasy Basketball Bust: Be Careful Drafting PG Ty Lawson

By Adam McGill

Chris Humphreys-USA TODAY Sports

This fantasy basketball season, the point guard position is absolutely stacked. It seems that every team has an All-Star caliber place setter and it has caused the position to become incredibly deep in terms of fantasy. However, there are still some guys to steer clear of at the point and one of those stars is PG Ty Lawson of the Denver Nuggets.

Lawson averaged 16.4 points, 6.6 assists, and 3.7 rebounds in 2011 and many pegged him as a very popular sleeper heading into last year. The former North Carolina Tar Heel didn’t progress like people expected, though, as he similarly averaged 16.7 points, 6.9 assists, and 2.7 rebounds in 2012.

Lawson was also arrested earlier in August in a domestic violence incident at his house after the police were called. The point guard was arrested, along with his girlfriend, and the duo was later released on bail. However, it was the second time that Lawson was arrested within a year and the most recent incident has no doubt caused the team to question their decision to sign the guard to a four-year deal worth $48 million last off-season.

Even more concerning is that the team has plenty of backups behind the troubled guard. The team still has point guard, Andre Miller, on the roster and the veteran has always hindered Lawson’s fantasy numbers. Miller averaged 9.6 points and 5.9 assists last season in 26.2 minutes per game. It seemed whenever Lawson started to get things going, the team decided to sub in Miller off the bench.

Additionally, the team brought in veteran flex guard Nate Robinson during the off-season. Robinson was sensational last season filling in for Derrick Rose with the Chicago Bulls and his presence in Denver will immediately impact Lawson’s playing time. The bad just got worse for Lawson.

Of all the point guards out there to grab this fantasy season, Lawson is one player to avoid. He has a lot of competition in the backcourt and he simply hasn’t progressed like the other point guards in the game, so let someone else take a chance on Lawson this season.